


Really Live

by DestinyIslandWanderer



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1980s, Gladio has AIDS, HIV/AIDS Crisis, Ignis is his nurse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, sad but hopeful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26772349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinyIslandWanderer/pseuds/DestinyIslandWanderer
Summary: Gladio was laying with his eyes closed when he heard the door creak. He said a little prayer that it was who he hoped it was, and sure enough, he caught a glimpse of his gorgeous nurse in the doorway.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Past Gladiolus Amicitia/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Really Live

**Author's Note:**

> This scene was going to be part of a history series I envisioned where Ignis and Gladio meet up as new people in each decade of the 20th century but can’t be together because of their sexuality. I planned to follow the progression of gay rights in America, and I was really excited about it, but then the idea sat for months and never blossomed beyond a few vignettes, this one included. Maybe I’ll pick it up again someday, but until then, this was the chapter I planned for the 1980s, set during the AIDS crisis.

Gladio was laying with his eyes closed when he heard the door creak. He said a little prayer that it was who he hoped it was, and sure enough, he caught a glimpse of his gorgeous nurse in the doorway before he was cloaked in darkness again.

Even in the low light from the street lamp outside his window, Gladio could tell he was wearing regular clothes, what looked like jeans and a t-shirt. That made Gladio smile, seeing him as a normal person for once. Ignis approached the bed cautiously. 

“I’m here, not as your nurse, for the record, but to see if I could take you up on your previous offer.”

Gladio reached out an arm, took his hand and pulled him closer until warm lips pressed gently to his.

As the kiss lingered, he thought of Noctis and nearly wept, the comfort and the memory were both so sweet, a reminder he’d been aching for, that love and affection could be his in spite of the worn-down body that reviled him, ate away at his muscles and the corners of his mind until he felt like nothing. 

But this, this was something. He could hear Noctis in his mind, congratulating him for scoring a kiss from a sexy nurse when Gladio looked like hell.

As quickly as they came, the lips were gone. 

“Are you okay?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah, just thinking about Noctis again,” he said.

“Oh.” 

“Sorry, Ignis. It’s not...The kiss was amazing,” Gladio offered. “What I’m trying to say is that you remind me of the love of my life.”

“I suppose that’s not so bad a compliment,” Ignis said, though Gladio could tell he wasn’t entirely appeased. “Would you rather I leave?”

Gladio squeezed his hand. “No way. Please don’t. Noctis would be happy for me, getting some hot action in a hospital bed.”

This had the pleasant effect of making Ignis laugh, though he stifled it with his free hand, probably not wishing to be discovered by another nurse after-hours. 

“You call that hot action?” Ignis teased.

“Oh yeah. When you’re dying from AIDS, that’s hot action for sure.”

He could tell he’d made Ignis uncomfortable. He remembered days when he used to be romantic and suave. He had no energy for that anymore. After watching Noctis die of AIDS, knowing he’d be next, Gladio had found he had no time for anything but the truth.

“I used to be so good with men,” he said.

Ignis raised an interested brow. “Oh really?”

“Hell yeah. What? You don’t believe me?”

Ignis’s teasing smile was an enchanting sight to behold. “I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. Indeed, I’m curious to hear more.”

“Honestly, it all feels hazy. You just gotta trust me.”

“You know…I think you shouldn’t discredit yourself. You’re still quite charming, even now.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Well, you got a nurse to break ethical code in order to come kiss you at two in the morning.”

Gladio chuckled. “I did, didn’t I?” 

They heard voices in the hall, and he could see Ignis visibly panic. “I should go,” he said.

“Well, thanks, for giving me my last kiss.”

“I hope it’s not your last!” Ignis protested.

“You gonna come back tomorrow night then?”

“Maybe,” Ignis replied coyly. 

“I hope you do. I think your kisses might keep me alive for a few more weeks at least.”

“I truly hope so.”

“But if they don’t…I just wanna tell you something, and for the record, I’m not usually the kinda person to dole out unsolicited advice, but since I’m on my deathbed and you seem stubborn as hell, I think it’s warranted...Don’t hide your sexuality for much longer. It’s worth it to be free and love who you want. I’m dying from the consequences of my love, and I don’t have a single regret. I lived my life to the fullest. You deserve to do the same. Just...don’t hide, okay?”

Ignis studied his face for a moment, and there was a surprising amount of resolve when he responded, “Okay.”

“That’s the spirit. Then I’ll see you again tomorrow, after your shift?”

“Of course. I’ll need you to teach me how to charm all the men.”

“I’d be happy to,” he grinned.

Ignis squeezed his hand. “Goodnight Gladio.”

“Goodnight.”

As the door closed behind him, Gladio thought back to one of the last things Noctis had said to him.

 _Just promise you’ll live,_ really live, _for as long as you can, Gladio._

“Maybe that wasn’t exactly what you had in mind, but I promise I tried, Noct,” he said softly. He pictured his love’s sweet smile and face, and the gratitude for a beautiful life overwhelmed him. 

He thought of Ignis, still yearning to be set free, not even realizing he had the key in his hand. That meant Gladio still had a purpose left, up until the very end.

A beautiful life indeed.

  
  



End file.
